Two Palestinians armed with a gun and axes attacked worshipers in a Jerusalem synagogue early Tuesday morning, killing four Israelis and wounding at least six.

The two men reportedly entered the Kehilat Yaakov synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of west Jerusalem, which includes both a synagogue and a yeshiva (rabbinical seminiary), around 6:30 AM during morning prayers. Residents told the Palestine Monitor there were approximately 12 worshipers at the site when the attack began.

"Two terrorists entered the synagogue in the neighborhood of Har Nof. They attacked with an axe, a knife and a gun. Four worhsipers were killed. The police who arrived at the scene shot and killed the two terrorists," said Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

Several hours after the attack, paramedics and clean up crews still worked to clear the gruesome scene. Blood was smeared across the sidewalk and down the steps of the synagogue. Nearby cars were pocked with bullet holes. Several right wing protestors gathered near the scene, chanting "death to Arabs" and "revenge."

"I was on my way downstairs just as the attack started," said Dan Bergman, who lives across the street from the synagogue. "Had I woken up just a few minutes earlier, I might have been there."

"I stayed in the stairwell and listened to the gunfight."

Describing the aftermath inside the synagogue, spokesman for Isreal´s Magen David Adom ambulance service Zaki Heller said, "The wounded were scattered throughout different rooms and the paramedics who arrived at the scene dispersered to deliver first aid."

"It is definitely true to say that the images there - of casualties wearing prayer shawls - are very difficult," he said.

A Magen David Adom paramedic named Akiva was one of the first on the scene. "Inside there was someone singing," he told the Israeli news site Ynet. "I ran into the synagogue, there was a gunshot victim lying on the floor. I tried to treat him, but the gunfire started in my direction and we fled. I pulled the wounded man along," he said.

"The police arrived and surrounded the entrance and then the terrorist ran out and they shot him. There was wild gunfire. People ran out of the synagogue. It was hell."

The two assailants, killed in a gun fight with Israeli security forces, have been identified as Ghassan Abu Jamal and his cousin Udayy Abu Jamal from the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood of east Jerusalem.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Tuesday´s attack was "a response to the ongoing Israeli crimes gainst the Al-Aqsa Mosque." He called on Palestinians to carry out similar attacks.

Although no Palestinian group has claimed responsiblity for the attack, Abu Zuhri added "the operation in Jerusalem came in response to the execution of the martyr (Yousef Hasan) al-Ramouni," refering to the death of a Palestinian bus driver from Jerusalem found hanged late Sunday night. While the official Israeli autopsy of Monday ruled al-Ramouni´s death a suicide, the 32-year-olds family claim he was murdered by right-wing Israelis.